October 20, 2012

Uganda: Now 5 dead in Marburg virus outbreak

Another person has died of Marburg virus disease in South West Uganda, bringing the toll from the outbreak to four, government officials said on Saturday.

The death occurred in Bukora Kitumba sub-county in Kabale district.

"It's sad the fifth person has died because the emergency team delayed to reach Kabale on Friday," Patrick Besigye Keihwa, the Kabale District Chairman said.

Meanwhile, the emergency team dispatched to deal with the outbreak has arrived in Kabale. The team will be conducting burials and managing an emergency zone to treat people.

Efforts are also underway to track all people who had had contact with the victims, the government said. Authorities urged the public to avoid direct bodily contact with a person suffering from Marburg and unnecessary public gatherings.

Marburg virus disease, also known as Marburg haemorrhagic fever is transmitted through bodily fluids such as saliva and blood, or by handling infected wild animals such as monkeys.

The disease, from the same family of viruses as Ebola, starts with severe headache and leads to haemorrhaging and, in previous outbreaks in Africa, to death in 80 percent or more of cases, usually within eight to nine days.

The last outbreak of Marburg in Uganda came in 2007 and killed two miners in the country's west. The latest outbreak comes after at least 16 people died from Ebola in August. In 2000, 425 people contracted Ebola in Uganda and more than half of them died.

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Another person has died of Marburg virus disease in South West Uganda, bringing the toll from the outbreak to four, government officials said on Saturday.

The death occurred in Bukora Kitumba sub-county in Kabale district.

"It's sad the fifth person has died because the emergency team delayed to reach Kabale on Friday," Patrick Besigye Keihwa, the Kabale District Chairman said.

Meanwhile, the emergency team dispatched to deal with the outbreak has arrived in Kabale. The team will be conducting burials and managing an emergency zone to treat people.

Efforts are also underway to track all people who had had contact with the victims, the government said. Authorities urged the public to avoid direct bodily contact with a person suffering from Marburg and unnecessary public gatherings.

Marburg virus disease, also known as Marburg haemorrhagic fever is transmitted through bodily fluids such as saliva and blood, or by handling infected wild animals such as monkeys.

The disease, from the same family of viruses as Ebola, starts with severe headache and leads to haemorrhaging and, in previous outbreaks in Africa, to death in 80 percent or more of cases, usually within eight to nine days.

The last outbreak of Marburg in Uganda came in 2007 and killed two miners in the country's west. The latest outbreak comes after at least 16 people died from Ebola in August. In 2000, 425 people contracted Ebola in Uganda and more than half of them died.